After spending five years in sustainability consulting, I’ve learned to stress the simplicity of going green.  “Don’t make it too complicated.  Distill it into sound bites.  Play up the benefits.  Minimize the hurdles.  Make it seem easy.”  So goes the conventional wisdom in green marketing.  The idea behind this, of course, is to sell people on change when their natural inclination is to resist it. But even as I continue down this path, a question keeps nagging me.

When did sacrifice become a bad thing?

I used to wonder if one person could make a difference. This wasn’t a philosophical exercise that I pondered in some detached way.  For me, this question was more critical than that. I tried to ignore it by keeping busy with social events and classes (this was before I had my kids), but I couldn’t run from the nagging notion that there might be a bigger way to live my life.   The possibility at least offered a promise that there could be meaningful work beyond my IBM cubicle, which had begun to close in on my like a cage.  So in 2003, still without answers, I took the plunge and resigned from my job.

A steady paycheck wasn’t overrated in those days (or any day), so I don’t want to sound blasé about the decision.  Leaving behind a good job to start over in sales was difficult on many levels. I had worked extremely hard to build a career in management consulting with a top firm.   But I hadn’t done it for any more compelling reasons than to make money and have a title.  Like any other ambitious person, I wanted to be somebody.  Yet, in trying so hard to do so, I had become somebody else.  I was more or less okay with this until my eyes began opening to what I might be missing.   

Influence. It’s the secret that sets the leaders apart from the doers. It’s the ingredient that turns ideas into action. It’s that je ne sais quoi that separates the tastemakers from the followers. And it’s the reason why you may not be making the difference you could be.

Do you want to create a sea change but find yourself stuck in the shallow end? Do you have a big vision but keep falling down on execution? Getting heard requires more than high ideals, good ideas or even cold hard cash. It requires influence. Here’s the good news. Influence can be learned. This I know from experience. When I started the trek from eco-activist to ecopreneur and author, I had to start from scratch. I had no platform, no environmentally-based education, no sustainability-specific experience, no green credentials and no real contacts to speak of. Or so I thought. Only after spending the past four years studying the most successful leaders in the world did I come to realize that I had everything I needed to make a unique contribution. And so do you. 

Here are six simple steps that I’ve observed for gaining the influence to get your green plan off the ground. But “simple” doesn’t always mean easy. Then again, who ever said that changing the world would be?

Last weekend I went shopping for a new dress.  Having taken a break from buying clothes for a few years while sharpening my eco-intelligence, I had a reasonable (or so I thought) expectation that my first shopping spree of 2010 would yield some great green finds.  Imagining the perfect garment, I set out for something sewn from organic fiber, preferably “Made in the USA” in an energy efficient factory (or if made elsewhere, then at least by happy, well-paid employees). I wanted a sophisticated silhouette with a timeless design and quality construction – all at an affordable price.  After scouring on foot and online, I’m here to report that this idealized ensemble does not exist, at least not anywhere I've found.   

Thanks to directories like EcoFashionWorld.com, you can find loads of talented designers whose fabulous creations are ethical or sustainable. Still, even in 2010, shopping for eco-friendly fashion is a challenge unless you have a lot of money to spend, an adventurous spirit and/or a taste for the relaxed or unusual styles typically created from eco-conscious designers.